PORTLAND — The day before the first major surgery of his soccer career, Portland Hearts of Pine star midfielder Ollie Wright said he was “anxious” and “excited” to start the rehabilitation process.

Wright, 27, suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in the 10th minute of Portland’s match Sept. 19 at the Chattanooga Red Wolves. He is scheduled to undergo surgery in Scarborough on Tuesday morning.

“I’m anxious to get it over and done with now,” Wright said by phone Monday morning. “It happened, what, seven, 10 days ago and the recovery really hasn’t started. I’m excited to get the surgery over and done with to officially get the recovery journey started.”

A London native who plays with flair and emotion, Wright is a fan favorite and the team’s all-time leader in goals (19) and assists (16). This season he leads the club in goal contributions with six goals and seven assists.

In 2025 he notched team highs with 13 goals and nine assists (11 and 8 in USL League One play) and earned second-team all-league honors. Wright scored the winner in the Hearts’ upset of No. 2 Chattanooga in last season’s quarterfinal playoff game.

Wright called the injury a “freak accident, really.” He was pressing up on a Chattanooga defender near the sideline.

“I just sort of lost my footing and my foot got stuck underneath me and I heard a pop and instantly knew (the ACL) was gone,” Wright said.

Recovery from ACL surgery is generally pegged at nine months to a year.

“Obviously, being a competitor I’m hoping closer to that nine-month projection,” Wright said.

Coach Bobby Murphy said Wright will “need our support because it’s going to be a long, lonely climb back.”

Wright said he plans to stay in Maine to do post-surgery physical therapy. His girlfriend and her family are from Maine.

“They’ll be able to take good care of me if I need it. My teammates and Bobby, they’ve all reached out and I know they’re there if I need them,” Wright said. “But I also know it’s a situation where you have to rely a lot on yourself. You’re the only person to make sure you come out stronger at the end.”

Wright said he considers Portland a home and wants to be back with the Hearts for the 2027 season.

“I definitely hope to be,” Wright said. “It’s difficult, playing in the USL, you never know for sure, but this is a place I really enjoy living in and a club I enjoy playing for, and I guess I would consider myself an adopted Mainer.”

After a 4-1 loss to Sarasota on Saturday, Wright was on the sidelines on crutches, returning yells of support from the fans with a nod and a lift of one crutch. He expressed appreciation for the outpouring of support he’s received, in person and on social media.

“It makes you feel very appreciative and makes you have that extra 10% to recover and gives you something for and people to recover for, not just myself,” Wright said.

DEFENSIVE WOES DETAILED

Improving the defense was an offseason focus for Portland. A combination of injuries and ineffective signings contributed to a back line that has struggled most of the season, a major reason beleaguered goalkeeper Hunter Morse leads USL1 with 101 saves and Portland (7-12-9) is 14th in the 17-team league, all but eliminated from the playoff chase with four matches to play.

Saturday’s loss was the seventh time this season Portland allowed three or more goals in a league game. In 2025, Portland allowed three goals twice in USL1 matches, going 11-7-12 in the regular season.

This season started in similar fashion. Portland allowed four goals in its first six games and was 2-1-3. Over the past 22 games the Hearts have allowed 46 goals (2.1 per game) and are 5-11-6.